Machine for forming hats.



PATENTED FEB. 12

G. W. STEVENS. MACHINE FOB. EORMING HATS.

APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 1.7-, 1904.

No. 843,638. EATENTED EEE. 12, 1907.

0. W. STEVENS.

. MACHINE EOE EOEMING HATS.

APPLICATION vFILED AUG. 17, 1904.

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2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@woe/Wto@ CHARLES W. STEVENS, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR FORNIING HATS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1907.

Application led August 17, 1904. Serial No. 221.156.

'[0 @ZZ whom, it 711/601./ concern,.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. STEVENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elizabeth, Union county, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Forming Hats, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to machines for forming hats.

The object of my invention is to provide mechanism of an improved form for compressing the crowns of the hats and for simplifying the formation of a more perfect hat and making the operation more effective and quicker.

The invention is particularly adapted for use in machines for forming hats having bellshaped crowns from blanks of felt or other similar material which may be pressed into shape by dies.

The invention consists in improvements the principles of which are illustrated in the accompanying two sheets of drawings.

Briefly, the invention may be said to comprise the employment of dies for shaping and pressing the brim of the hat and then compressing and forming the crown, both operations being effected by pressure from the same source.l The latter operation is effected by a plurality of hinged members which have broad bearingsurfaces and overlap each other. The crown-forming dies are carried by a frame which may be provided with suitable means for raising and lowering the same such as is commonly employed in presses of this general character. The upper brimforming member is carried by the same frame, but may be disengaged, and is provided with loicking means, so as to obtain two distinct movements, one of the brimforming die and the other of the crown-forming die, but both by continued action of the frame either on the downward forming movement or the upward releasing movement.

Figure l is a front view of those parts of a machine which are necessary for illustrating the improvements of my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal planand section of the same on the plane of the line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the dies, taken on a plane at right angles to the view shown in Fig. l. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of the upper crown-forming dies, the former being a bottom view and partial section on the plane of 2 2 are operating-rods which pass through suitable guides in the main bed of the machine and are movable vertically with relation thereto. Suitable means may be provided for raising and lowering these dies as may be desired, such as springs and footlevers, as is common and well-known in the art of presses.

3 is a cross-frame carried by the rods 2 2, which in its turn supports the upper dies and crown-forming members, all of which are movable with relation to the lower dies.

My invention is particularly directed to that class of machines which is employed for shaping a blank having a bell-shaped crown. The parts are shaped accordingly but it will be obvious to those acquainted with the art that the particular shape of hat illustrated is immaterial and that my invention is adapted to a wider iield of utility.

4 indicates the lower die, which has a suitably-formed upper surface for giving to the brim of the hat the desired shape. This lower die 4 c arries or supports the members for giving the desired shape to the inside of the crown.

As this crown is bell-shaped the lower crownshaping members are preferably constructed of a plurality of parts suitably shaped. In the form herein shown it is formed in four parts, three of which are illustrated and indicated by the references 5, 6, and 7. Of these 5 and 6 are preferably movable, so as to permit the hat to be taken out after the crown is formed. As my invention, however, relates more particularly to the mechanism for producing the compression on the upper side of the blank, the description and illustration of these parts will be more in detail.

Fig. l illustrates the machine in position ready for the insertion of a blank.

8 is the member for shaping the top of the crown.

9, l0, and 11 are rods carried by the crossframe 3, which support the crown-top member 8. 12 is the upper brim-shaping member,

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which is also carried by the rods 10 and 11, but provided with locking and. releasing mechanism.

13 and 14 are brackets secured to the upper brim shaper 12 and having perforations through which the rods 10 and 1 1 slide.

15 and`16 are locking members pivoted to the brackets 13 and 14 and which arehookl like and adapted to coact with the rods 10 and 11 at the contracted portions 17 and 18,

Iso that when the looking members are in the position indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 pressure may be applied to the upper brim-Shaper 12 by means of the presser-rods 2 2.

19 is a connecting-rod between i the two locking members 15 and 16.

The locking member 15 is provided, preferably, with a handle,'so that it may be manually operated to lock or release the parts. Fig

3 shows the looks released. n -20 and 21 are side rods carried by the brim- 'shaper- 12 and guided by the cross-frame 3.

22 and 23 are springs which are adapted to coact to press the upper brim-shaper 12` downward when the locking members 15 and 16 are released. The weight of the parts will tend to hold the upper brim-Shaper in its proper position, but the springs are added-to `give additional pressure.

After the blank has been placed in the machine the cross-frame 3 is caused to descend, and thus pressure is applied to form the brim and hold it in position. The looking Vmembers'15 and 16 are then released by a Vsingle movement of the handle member 15.

Continued pressure on the rods 2 2 causes the crown-top member 8 to continue to descend vand perform the operation of shapingthe crown, the rods 10 and 11 sliding through the 4o brackets 13 and 14.

by gravity separated from each other. f upper brim-Shaper 12 is provided with a oenare hinged to the top member v8 and when in the position shown in Fig. 1 hang vertically The trally -located opening, through which the lower crown-dies or block members 5, 6, and 7 cause the crown of the blank to be projected during the formation of the brim. The side walls of this opening are formed sloping, as illustrated inFig. 3, and the outer surfaces of the side clamping devices 24I and 25 are `formed suitably to coaot therewith, so that when the locking members 15 and 16 are lreleased andthe top member 8, together with vshaped recesses 29 and 30.

the clamps, descends the clamps will be -fcrced inwardly toward. each other into the position shown in Fig. 3.

The inner shaping-surfaces of the clamps are suitably curved or shaped to engage the outer sides of the blank and give the desired contour to the outside of the crown. The lower edges 26 and 27 of the clamps are suitably formed to give an annular depression in the hat between the bottom of the crown and. the brim. rThis is shown particularly in Fig. 3, in which 28 indicates a section of the hat. Portions 24 and 25 of thev clamp members 24 and 25 near the lower edges serve as outer shaping-surfaces whichl engage the hat material 28 in the annular depression just mentioned, and thus shape part of the brim. As before stated, the alternate clamping members overlap each other. The lower inner corners of the members 25 are preferably rounded olf, as indicated at 29 and 30, Fig. 7, whilethe members 24 have correspondingly- The lower inner corners of the vshaping members 24 are also rounded adjacent to the lower edge 27 of the shaping member 25. This prevents the clamping members from pinching or catching the material of the hat when in oper- -ation,because they are in constant engagement or contact with one another during the entire contracting period incidental to the shaping of the sides and the crown. The members 25 are preferably considerably wider at their lower portions than at the top, so as to prevent them from getting jammed or Vwedged between the members 24 as they are brought into operation. The inner shaping-surfaces of the members 24 and 25 are inclined somewhat like the surface of the frustum of an inverted cone.

When the' hat has been formed and the parts are in the position shown in Fig. the operating presser-rods -2 2 are raised. This raises the cross-frame 3, carrying with it rods 9, 10, and 11y and the top crown-forming member 8, thus releasing the crown and permitting the clamps 24 and 25 to hang down vertically. The continued upward movement of the presser-rods2 2V and the crossframes 3 raises the upper brim-forming member 12 and releases the completely-formed hat.

'The advantages of this construction will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It will also be apparent that my invention may be employed to form hats of many designs or shapes and sizes with flat, curved, or tluted brims and flat, concave, or convex` tops.

lhat I claim isi 1. In a hat-forming maohine,-the combinationof a supporting-benl*7 a cross-frame mov- -able withrelation thereto, lower brim and Ycrown forming dies carried by said bed, upper crown forming dies, an upper brim-forming l die means for supporting said crown-forming IOO IOS

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dies from said cross-frame, means for supporting said brim-forming die from the supporting mean for said crown-forming dies, and locking and releasing means for causing said brim-forming die to descend in advance said crown-forming dies and permitting said crown-forming dies to descend after said brim-forming die.

2. A shaping-machine, including segmental inner and outer dies, the segments of one of said dies being more than four in number and arranged in two sets movable toward and from each other, the segments of one set of said segments being substantially wider at the lower edge than at the upper', andthe segments of the other set being substantially wider at the upper edge than at the lower and constantly overlapping the segments of the first set at their free edges.

3. In' a hat-forming machine, the combination of a cross-frame with operating-rods, an Lipper crown-forming die carried thereby, an upper brim-forming die andlocking and releasing levers 15 and 16 for connecting said brim-forming die to cause it to descend in advance of said crown-forming die but to permit said crown-forming die to afterward descend independently thereof.

4. In a hat-forming machine, the combination of lower brim and crown forming dies, an upper brim-forming die having an opening for the crown, a top crown-forming die and a plurality ofside-shaping members pivotally carried around said top forming-die, said members having overlapping edges with rounded corners, each member having an outer bearing and operating-surface adapted to coact with the sides of the opening in said brim-forming die.

5. In a hat-forming machine, the combination of lower brim and crown forming dies, an upper brim-forming die having an opening for the crown, a top crown-forming die and a plurality of side-shaping members pivotally carried around said top formingdie, said members having overlapping edges, each of said members having an inner shaping-surface, a lower shaping-surface and an outer shaping-surface.

6. In a hat-forming machine., the combination of a bed, lower brim and crown forming dies supported thereby, a cross-frame, operating-rods therefor, a top crown-forming die carried by said cross-frame, an upper brimforming die also carried by said cross-frame, a plurality of movable side-shaping members carried around said top forming-die and means of connection between said brimforming die and said crown-forming dies for causing said upper brim-forming die to descend in advance of said crown-forming die and to ascend in reverse order, substantially as described.

7. In a hat-forming machine, the combination of lower brim and crown forming dies,

an upper brim-forming die having an opening for the crown and a plurality of movable side-shaping members each having overlapping edges inclined to each other with rounded inner corners each member havin an inner shaping-surface adapted to be brought into operation, substantially as described.

8. In a hat-forming machine, the combination of lower brim and crown forming dies, an upper brim-forming die having an opening for the crown and a plurality of movable side-shaping members having overlapping edges inclined to each other with rounded inner corners each member having an inner shaping-surface and a lower shaping-surface adapted -to be brought into operation, substantially as described.

9. In a hat-forming machine, the combination of lower brim and crown forming dies having an annular groove between the crown and brim forming portions, an upper brimforming die having an opening for the crown and a plurality of side-shaping members having overlapping edges each of said members having an inner shaping-surface and an outer shaping surface adapted to be brought into operation, substantially as described.

10. In a hat-forming machine, the combination oiE a lower brim-forming die having an upwardly-curved and iiared surface, a lower crown-forming means leaving an annular groove at the base of the brim-forming die, an upper brim-forming die having an opening for the crown and corresponding to a portion of said lower brim-forming die and a plurality of movable side-shaping members having inner, lower and outer shaping-surfaces and means for bringing said dies and shaping members into operation for the purpose specified.-

ll. In a machine for 'forming hats and the like, the combination of a crown-forming die, a plurality of movable outer crown-forming members having overlapping, inclined inner edges in the shaping-surfaces, alternate members being arranged to close inside of the adjacent members and having tapering shaping-surfaces considerably wider near the bottom than at the top, and means for bringing said members into operation.

l2. In a machine for forming hats and the like, `the combination of an inner crownforming die, a plurality of movable outer crown-forming members having overlapping edges with inclined inner shaping-surfaces and also having lower shaping-surfaces, the alternate members having rounded lower corners, above the lower shaping-surfaces and means for bringing said members into operation.

13. In a hat-forming machine, the combination of inner crown-forming dies, and two sets of movable outer crown-forming members, each member of one set having a re- IOO IlD

cess at each. end cut back from-its shaping-y being inclined relative to each other for a portion of their extent and terminating in rounded lower corners and corresponding to the recesses substantially as described.

14. kIn a hat-forming machine, the combination of upper and lower brim-forming dies, inner and outer sets of crown-forming members, one of said sets of members being movable vertically and laterally relative to the other set, and one of said brim-forming dies being movable vertically, means for simultaneously operatingl one of said brim-forming dies and said'movable set of crown-forming members, with the brim-forming die in advance'of-the crown-forming members, and means for disconnecting .the brim-forming die to permit the crown-forming members to move independently.

15. In a hat-die, a plurality of outer crow" shaping members arranged in two sets movable toward and from each other andhaving inner shaping-surfaces, the members ci one set being arranged to swing outside of the other set and having recesses at the inner sides, andthe members of the other set being arranged to iit in said recesses and being wider at the lower edges in the shaping-surface than the members of theouter set at the lower edges in the shaping-surface.

16. In a hat-forming machine, the combination of inner crowndforming dies and two sets of movable outer crown-forming members, each member of one set having a recess at each end cut back from its shaping-sur- 'f fac'e to receive a portion of the ad]acent memi ber of the other set, the edge of the recess which lies in the shaping-surface being in-V clined throughout a portion of its extent, the opposite edges of each of the members of the other set being inclined relative to each other for a portion of their extent and corresponding to the recesses substantially as described.

17. In a hat-machine, lower brim and crown forming dies, an upper brim-forming die having an opening, and a plurality of pivoted outer crown-forming members vertically movable through said opening and constantly overlapping at their adjacent edges and engaging one another during the entire contracting period.

18. In a hat-machine, lower brim and crown forming dies, an upper brim-engaging die having an opening for the crown, a plurality or" relatively movable outer crownforming members, a vertically-movable press supporting said upper brim-die and saidl onter crown-forming members, and levercontrolled means for disconnecting said brimdie so as to permit said crown-forming members to descend through said opening.

19. A shaping-machine, including an annular segmental die, the segments of which have overlapping edges and are movable relatively to each other, each. segment having in ner, lower and outer shaping-surfaces.

20. A shaping-machine, including two up-` 

